Vulcanizing apparatus



Sept. 8, 1931. l.. o. GRANGE VULCANIZING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 29, 1929 j 71 weve far Ze@ @fem e Zi? M A GMI;

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. maintaining an even temperature of the tire Patented Sept. 8, 1931 unirsi) STA rss, PATENTfaoFFfiCi:

LEO o. GRANGE, or GHICAGQILLINOIS, AssIGNoR 'rou/'ALTER J. .Tiananmen CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS v VULCANIZING APPARATUS Application filed October 29, `1929.` Serial No; 403,242.

My invention relates to an improvement in tire vulcanizing means and has kfor onepurpose to provide improved control means for or casing engaging surface. Another object is the provision of control means for use with a tire treating device in which a liquid or a.

gas or steam is employed, which control means shall be responsive to and shall con- `trol the temperature ofthe surface opposed to the tire, rather than the temperature or r`the pressure of the fluid heating medium. yOther objects willappear from time toy time in the course of thespeciication and claims..

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying, drawings, wherein- Figure l isa side elevation;

f Figure 2 is aisection on the line 2-2 of ,Figure l;

Figure 3 is a similar section through a vay employk a boss or projectiongenerally indiy riant form of device; `and Figure 4 isa similar section througha furfther variation.

Like parts arev indicated: by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings. Y Referring tothe drawings, AA generally indicates any suitable outershell or. housing,

. with a bottom A? and an inner shell A2." The space between the two shells, as at A3,.inay Y be filled withany suitable luidheatingmedium. My device isadapted for example for ,use with steam type vulcanizers, or withvulcanizers in which an koil is employed` as a heating medium. f B generally indicates any suitable heating means, hereinshown as a resistance element applied to the lower face A1 of .the shell A. It will be understood that the member- B is in circuit with anysuitable source of electric energy which may :reach it* through the conductors B1 B2. v

C diagraminatically indicates anyA suitable control means or make4 and brealuswitch adapted to close oropen thecircuitthroiigh the. conductors B1 and B2 andthe resistance element B. I may .i employ. any suitable theimostatic element diagrammati'cally, indicated as Clt-tor actuating y the ginembenC, it being understood thatwhen a `predetermined teinperature ofthe device isieached the member C1 serves to break the Yactuating circuit and to cut out or disconnect theresistance element B. Since thegdetails of .the thermostatic element, or the control. do not, of themselves formpart of the present invention, and since controls of this type are fa miliar to the art, I do not indicate or kdescribe the thermostatic element or control in detail but I find it convenient yto employ a thermostatic element including a tube, Such as C1,

, which may easily be inserted into operative position and which may easily bevywithdrawn when desired.

- As a meansfor applying the tube C1 or for positioning itin actuating` position Imay cated as D formed in or` associated with the inner shell A2 and provided withl a bore D1 one surface of which, as at D1",l approaches member D may be associated only with the innershell kA2, as shown in Figure 4, or itl .may extend to and lconnect -with the `outer inner shell and not to receiveheat .from the outer shell A or the intermediatefconnector It may be desirable to protect,- the member C1 from access of the fluid heatingfmeans, as

shown in Figure 2.y However, under some- Vclose to the inner `face ofthe shell A2. The

is aligned with circun'istances and with some heating mediums the access of the medium to the member C1 may be harmless or even may for some reason be desired. In the torni of Figure 3 the vent Ds is provided whereby the fluid containing interior ot the housing between the two shells is connected to the bore D1. When the thermostat member is removed 'ree passage of the liquid is provided and it desired `the internal cavity may be drained in this fashion.

I illustrate different methods or connecting or mounting the thermostatic element in Figures 2 and 3 but I wish it to be under stood that either form of connection may be used with either lorm of vulcanizer. Thus I show in Figure 2 a slip connection including the exterior bosses E El formed in the exterior of the shell A and provided with opn posed parallel plane sides Fig. The stem or connecting members E3 of the member C conforms to the sides E2, rotation of the meniber C being thus prevented. Any suitable locking means, such as the set screw Et, may be employed for preventing longitudinal movement of the members C C1.

In the vform ot' Figures 3 and l I illustrate a screw threaded connection as at E, between the members C1 and E3 and the shell A but it will be understood that the screwthreadcd connection may also be employed with the form of Figure 2.

In the use of the device I may employ any suitable matrix Gf which conforms on its outer Jface to the shell A2 and on its inner 'lace to the tire to be treated. The tire may be held in position for example by the blocks G1, the clamp yoke l2 with its securing screws G3 and the pressure applying screw G4.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes might be made in the size, shape, number and disposi- 'tion 'of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my drawings and description to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative and diag animatie rather than as limiting me to my specific showing. In particular I wish it to be under- -i stood that I do not wish to be limited to any specitic heating means, a resistance element disposed as herein shown being illustrated merely as an example of a practical means for heating fluid. For example, gas heating means might be employed. l'lilhereas I have illustrated an electrical heating means and a temperature responsive control for its actuating circuit, it will be realized that my in vention covers the obtaining of my desired effect, from avoidance of lag or delay, whether electric heating means are used or some other heating means and whether the control is through a make and break device in an electric circuit or through control ot other and non-electric heating means.

As to the actual heat responsive means employed I may tor example employ a Bourdon tube and the drawings contain a diagrammatic showing of such a tube.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

In previous vulcanizing and retreading devices fer operating upon tires or casings it has been customary to employ thermostatic elements responsive to a fluid heating medium, or pressure members responsive to pressure of an expansible fluid heating medium. One advantage ot my invention is the employment, as the controlling or governing temperature, of the temperature ot the member which actually engages the treated surface of the tire. It the temperature of: the area or surface of application oi heat to the casing which is important, since it is this temperature which actually operates on the tire. In order to cause the control to respond to and to govern this temperature I insert a thermostatic element in an aperture in the shell Which is separated only by a very thin layer of metal troni the actual tire engaging surface. The thermostatically responsive element therefore accurately governs the actual temperature to which the tire is subjected with a range of variation too small to have any appreciably bad ei'l'ect on the treatment. An important reason tor governing the temperature on the basis oit the actual temperature treatment of the tire is to cut down or avoid the lag caused by the cooling or the shell by the application et cool rubber to it. Assuming that the shell is already heated to vulcanizing temperature, and that a new casing is dropped into place it immediately absorbs heat from the shell and reduces the heat of the shell. It the thermostatic elo ment responds to the pressure of the heating` fluid, or to the heat of the fluid, then the shell, cooled by the contact of the tire, may be quickly cooled to a temperature too low to cure the rubber, although the liquid itself may be at a proper' temperature or pressure. The temperature loss caused by the insertion of a new tire is not immediately reflected by a drop in Vtemperature of the liquid or by a drop in pressure of the liquid and there is a definite and considerablelag before the cooling ellect upon the casing acts to reduce the temperature or pressure and to cause the thermostatic element to cut in the actuating circuit. After the lag, and when the circuit is closed, there is still an additional lag until the liquid has again been heated to the desired temperature, and until this excess of heat of the liquid has raised the temperature of the shell to the desired minimum. This double lag in practice may result in a circuit being out in and cut out several times, after a cold tire is put in, before the curing temperature is reestablished.

Preferably the thickness of the metal of the boss D and of the shell adjacent the thermostatic element are so controlled or proportioned as to limit or reduce the sensitivity of the control to temperatures in the boss and shell except those adjacent the edective inner face of the shell. As an example of such control I instance the spacing D2 where, by increasing the bore, I insulate the member C1 to a certain extent from response to temperatures remote from the inner shell.

Vhile I do not wish to be limited to a round hole or to a cylindrical cavity, a cylindrical cavity with a tubular thermostatic element is a convenient control means. It will be understood that I do not wish to be limited to the particular form of boss and cavity shown, and that broadly my invention includes any means for causing the thermostatic element to respond closely to the heat of the inner shell and in particular to the heat of the inner surface of the inner shell. The forms of boss shown are practical means for spacing or positioning the thermostatic element for this purpose.

Referring to the matrix G, I may employ aluminum or any suitable material or alloy which readily transmits heat, in suoli fashion that the matrix members so rapidly pass on the heat received from the inner surface of the shell that their intervening space does not.

to any damaging extent interfere with the responsiveness of the thermostatic control to the temperature conditions at a point or zone of actual working contact with the tire. Y

lVhile I do not wish to be limited to any particular resistance heating element, I find it useful and practical to employ a heating element in which generally flat resistance wires are compressed between plates of thin insulating material, such as mica.

I claim l. In a vulcanizing device, a vulcanizing shell adapted to be opposed to the article to be vulcanized, a housing associated with said shell, the space between shell and housing being adapted to be filled with a fluid heating medium, means for heating said fluid heating medium, and heat responsive means for controlling said fluid heating means, said heat responsive means including a portion positioned adjacent the inner face of said shell and. extending through said housing and into the wall of said shell.

2. In a vulcanizing device, a vulcanizing shell adapted to be opposed to the article to be vulcanized. a housing associated with said shell, the space between shell and housing being adapted to be filled with a fluid heating medium, means for heating said fluid heating medium.v heat responsive means for controlling said fluid heating means, said heat responsive means including a portion positioned adjacent the inner face of said shell and extending through said housing, and means being provided for aligning or posirshell, and a boss or connection extending between and associated with the housing and shell, said connection being apertured to receive said heat responsive means.

4. In a vulcanizing device, a vulcanizing shell adapted to be opposed to the article to be vulcanized, a housing associated with said shell, the space between shell and housing being adapted to be filled with a fluid heatf ing medium, means for heating said fluid heating medium, heat responsive means for controlling said fluid heating means, said heat responsive means including a portion positioned adjacent the inner face of said shell, and a boss or connection extending between and associated with the housing and shell, said connection being apertured to receive the heat responsive means, the portion of the aperture within the boss being of greater diameter than the portion of the aperture in or aligned with the shell, the heat responsive means being out of contact with the walls of that portion of the aperture having the increased diameter.

5. In a vulcanizing device, a vulcanizing shell adapted to be opposed to the article to be vulcanized, a housing associated with said shell, the space between shell and housing being adapted to be filled with a fluid heating medium, means for heating said fluid heating medium, and heat responsive means for controlling said fluid heating means, said heat responsive means including a portion positioned adjacent the inner face of said shell and extending through the wall of said housing, exterior securing means being provided therefor upon the housing wall, said securing means including a plurality of opposed lugs and a set screw associated with one of them.

6. In a vulcanizing device, a housing adapted to be filled with a fluid, electric means for heating said fluid, a circuit for said heating means, and a thermostatic control means in said circuit, adapted to makeV and break said circuit in response to fluctuations in temperature, a shell, forming part of said housing, adapted to be opposed to the article to be vulcanized, said thermostatic control means being positioned to penetrate said shell to a point closely adjacent the work engaging surface of the said shell, the electric heating means being substantially more remote from said shell, the surface of said shell Within said housing being provided with an enlarged portion adapted to receive said thermostatio control means, said enlarged portion being in communication with the exterior Wall of said housing at :L point remote from said shell.

Signed at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 25th day of October LEO O. GRANGE. 

